I stumbled upon “Rear Window” over the weekend. I was stunned all over again by the masterful production.
I was 19 the first time I saw this movie. I had a boyfriend who was seriously into Hitchcock. There was a special release of the original reel and he swooned over it. He detailed all these items about how wonderful this release was. The only thing I remember about what he said was that he noticed a makeup smudge on Grace Kelly’s dress. Why I remember that, I have no clue.
But when I saw this movie, I fell in love with everything about it: he characters, the mood, the story, the suspense. I think it’s my favorite Hitchcock movie. No one can tell a story like he does. There are whole swaths of time where there is no dialog, nothing but ambient noise as Jimmy Stewart views his neighbor’s windows through his binoculars. The silence is a character in itself, a solitary soul.
Grace Kelly was gorgeous in every scene. Every outfit was spectacular, not a hair out of place. Breathtaking.
There were many great lines but I liked this:
Jeff: When am I going to see you again?
Lisa: [angry] Not for a long time…
[softening]
Lisa: at least not until tomorrow night.
I was young again.